1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air suspension system of a motor vehicle with air shocks or air springs with a compressed air container for a vehicle with a vehicle frame and a vehicle superstructure, comprising a number of elastic air springs which are connected to the reservoir, whereby the air springs and the reservoir are to be considered compressed air containers.
2. Background Information
Such an air suspension system is disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. 36 09 396. The supplemental volume or the compressed air container for the air springs corresponding to the wheels is located in a container which has a very massive construction, like that which is customarily used in trucks and other utility vehicles. Although in utility vehicles, there is a sufficient amount of space available to install such a system, space is at considerably more of a premium in passenger vehicles. The small spaces which are available, e.g. in the engine compartment, leave barely enough room even for the installation of an air reservoir. The wheel wells are already occupied by the shock absorbers and tires with wide treads which are increasingly common. But a compressed air container is essential for the operation of an air suspension system. Supplemental reservoirs, as disclosed in a number of publications, make it possible to advantageously affect the suspension rate or to minimize the pump output, so that the use of a supplemental reservoir is desirable, in spite of the space problems it entails, as indicated above.